Circuit Attorney News & Updates

Another Cooperating Witness, Another Armed Offender Heading to Prison

April 11, 2016

Another Cooperating Witness, Another Armed Offender Heading to Prison

The value of witnesses willing to cooperate with prosecutors showed itself again this past week when veteran prosecutor Don Tyson won a guilty verdict against Trey McDuffie, who pulled a gun on a woman trying to wash her car in The Grove back in 2015.

McDuffie, who was found guilty of first-degree attempted robbery, armed criminal action, and resisting arrest, knew he was in trouble early on, but always tried to deny that he had a gun. That of course made things much worse for him.

The victim was vacuuming her car at a location on S. Kingshighway at Manchester when McDuffie walked up, reached into the car, and grabbed her purse. She instinctively tried to hold on, and that was she noticed the short barreled revolver in his other hand. The purse on the strap broke, and McDuffie ran for it.

He was eventually chased down by police, after climbing over a barbed wire fence and undressing down to his shorts in an attempt to ditch his distinctive outfit.

He wouldn’t escape responsibility, though. His pistol was somewhat unusual and his bright red Cardinals jersey stood out. Under questioning, he would eventually tell police where the gun was located, providing that piece of evidence for trial.

The victim was able to pick McDuffie out of a lineup and describe him, that jersey, and the gun to a “T” in court. That gave Don Tyson, who can count his criminal trials by the hundreds, all he needed get the guilty verdict.

St. Louis juries are clearly ready and willing to hold armed offenders accountable. Top notch witnesses willing to stand up for what’s right give them all they need to make that stand.